Saturday, June 29, 2013

Just about wrapping up Act 4, seeing the game file size reaching around 100 MB, I realize that this game is just too big for mobile, as Baxter was going to be a mobile game when I first conceived it.Right now as I'm working on the last two levels for Act 4, I'm seriously considering a smaller, mobile version of this game. Something along the lines of a prequel to this one where you are trying to evade capture from Reginald.Thing is, I'm trying not to make it just another "auto-run right + collect stuff" app. Working on this game taught me a very valuable lesson about smartphone apps, in that simplicity is best when it comes to controls, yet there's too many "me too" apps that have the exact. same. gameplay. Baxter is an adventure character -- then again, it's not exactly a bad thing when you consider most of those games are made from many mini games from console classics:

For example, the infamous "bike tunnel" stage from Battletoads.

Or Mega Man 8's "JUMP, JUMP, SLIDE, SLIDE"

Any classic on rails racer or shooter

Now that I think about it, it may not be such a bad idea, considering I already have the art assets needed. Rather than one level, you can rack up enough points to unlock more levels. Plus with the jump + glide feature, and whiplash, there can be numerous ways to make it replayable like added secrets and short cuts. I could probably make it work.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hiyo, I have some screens for Act 4 here. I'm over halfway done with the act. Found some nice little gimmicks to make this whole Act stand out otherwise it'd feel almost the same as Act 2.Each act has a theme:Act 1: Carnival - basic platforming and puzzleAct 2: Construction Zone - Addition of the Jelly (new name) family, red/green barrier switchAct 3: Outdoor - Water Hazard, death walls, puzzle bubblesAct 4: Lets start with hot lava:

Here, the lava is instant death, but some objects allow you to "float" on it... physics be damned!

These are "gear platforms" Since the game is 2D I'm trying to give a 3Dish effect that they're spinning... and those sparky guys are called "Sparkers" that follow a set path.

Before you say "Super Meat Boy much?" Yes, I'm drawing inspiration from Super Meat Boy for a couple levels, it was one of the driving forces to make Baxter in the first place. My original idea was to have spinning gears but gears aren't as lethal.

The lore of the factory is that it produces the Jelly you see from Act 2 on, this new jelly allows you to stick to surfaces like glue... which and either help or hinder your progress.

So there you have it! That is just a taste of what to expect in Act 4. I want to show you some other nasty traps, but that would spoil the surprise!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Nintendo is up to bat, it was a good display, seemed a tad heavy on the 3Ds side, but at least Wii U has something to look forward too. Bayonetta and Donkey Kong Country return as strong second party titles along with Sonic Lost Worlds.

I'm not disappointed in the 3D Mario World, some people seem upset as they were expecting something of a successor to Super Mario Galaxy. If anything it's a throwback to Mario 64 with HD worlds and four playable characters ala Super Mario Bros 2/USA. It has the roly-poly goombas from Super Mario World, and the Tanooki suit is still there from a brief clip. Cat Mario is gonna make some memes while Cat Peach is going to be the subject of some questionable fan art lol.

Mega Man in the new Smash Bros? With Kid Icarus there, all we need is Simon Belmont and we'd have the cast of Captain N sans the original characters of course. His intro was just too epic:

Mega Man, meet next-gen... next-gen, meet Mega Man. There's so much potential for an actual 3D Mega Man title, as it is his 25 anniversary. I've grown up with the blue bomber since the original NES, and this is a great homage to a legendary icon. There's also an Animal Crossing character that made the roster, hope to see some other chars soon! Capcom, take notes or better yet, give the franchise to HAL Labs, as they've done so much in this little trailer than you guys have since Mega Man 10.Never been too big on Yoshi's Island, or maybe I'm remember my utter shame when I bought Yoshi's Story for the N64 way back when I was just out of high school. Found out that SquareEnix's upcoming titles are indeed multiplat, so it's no longer PS exclusive. It's not a bad thing actually, some Xbox fans might want to try them. Phantom Pain is coming for PS4, which should of been obvious, but no one really knew until now.Saints Row 4, GTA 5 and Arkham Origins are going to be my games for this year. Not sure which new console to get first. Maybe if Baxter made me enough for PS4 AND a Wii U lol, but I'm still leaning towards PS4 unless Smash is coming out very soon.Amazing E3 in a very long time.

Monday, June 10, 2013

So... wow... just wow. Best E3 in years, and it's only day one.Microsoft opened with some interesting titles, mainly Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain which seemingly appeared to be an exclusive. While it was a good presentation, the price point of $499 got under people's skin. Gamers tried to looked past the DRM and always online, but this made it hard to swallow...Then Sony came out.At first it started slow, basically going over PS3 and Vita titles. We finally got to see the PS4 system itself, a parallelogram borrowing the sleek design of the PS2 Slim. After the big PS4 reveal we got to look at a plethora of nice indie game titles, which is great to see them getting more love.Then, Square came on and pretty much started what I consider the first of many killing blows on the XBoxOne:FinalFantasy Versus XIII is now XVKingdom Hearts 3Final Fantasy XIV onlineInfamous SS We get a taste of the multiplatform titles like Assassins Creed, Destiny, and Watchdogs until the big reveal of the console:Supports used gamesCloud Gaikai with a backlog of PS3 titlesNo DRMPS Plus carryoverNo need for always on internetAnd the finishing blow of the price being $399.Look, don't mistake me for a fanboy or anything but you'd have to be one very biased individual to not see that Microsoft screwed the pooch. They took a risk, and Sony just usurped them on every turn. I'm sure there is a market for the XB1 and its all in one app device, but gamers as a whole just want a new console and games. Sony delivered on all counts and then some.That crowd, I just can't get over that crowd. I still have some concerns, like if the Phantom Pain is coming to PS4. It's cool that Metal Gear has been going multiplat, but all this has nailed my pass for the Xbox One. I like my 360, and my PS3 gen1 is on its last leg so I'm definately going for a PS4 when I get the first chance. I almost went into a coma assuming that Mad Max trailer which I mistook for Fallout 4. This is why I'm so passionate about my profession, gaming has been in my lifestyle for years and even though people give me so much shit due to my current social status, those people mean nothing to me compared to something that's always been there when I'm feeling down. The gaming community is a very strong and vital part of it's heritage, you need to keep them happy. Microsoft reminds me of the kind of corporation that pretty much could care less about the consumer and see us as spend happy idiots when it comes to new tech. Look, we're not flipping Apple consumers ok?Well, a couple more days and we get to hear Nintendo Direct's announcement (New Smash Bros.) and maybe see if they're getting third party love instead of Lego versions of popular franchises. In closing, SONY TAKE MY MONEY!!!